May 21, 2021
The best of high performance racing is back with the Vice Admiral’s Cup. The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is hosting this event in the Solent from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd.
The 2020 edition had to be cancelled due to the global pandemic; however, this year looks promising as over 50 teams have taken up the challenge. Eight classes will compete on courses with technical windward leeward.
We will be able to expect the best action for FAST40+, Performance 40, J/111, J/109, Cape31, HP30, Quarter Tonner and SB20.
The Solent-based inshore regatta brings together the eight classes for three days of intense racing. During the 2019 edition, over 70 boats sailed across the water in this event. This year, we will enjoy the return of the Fast40+ class alongside the Performance 40 class.
This is the Grand Prix class and it is returning to race for the first time this year. Even though the class follows a box rule, the carbon fibre flyers have similar IRC Ratings. The boat to beat is the Rán, as they have won the class at the 2019 Vice Admiral’s Cup.
Moreover, Peter Morton will be returning this year to the FAST40+ division with a new boat, Jean Genie. We will also see Christian Hamilton & Guy Gillon’s Khumbu with several upgrades.
“Rán has been out training in all conditions and it will be a breath of fresh air to be back out racing,” said Rán’s Tim Powell. “As this is the first race of the season it will be very interesting to see where everybody has got to in terms of performance.”
The RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup will be the first round of the 2021 Performance 40 Series. This class provides intense racing under tight IRC Rating rules. Winners include Michael Blair & Stevie Beckett’s Cobra and David Cummin’s Rumleflurg and James Gair’s Zero II.
Past RORC Commodore and Admiral, Andrew McIrvine, will be competing in this class with La Réponse. The navigator of the boat Sailplane 3 said “Although the Rolex Fastnet Race is very important, the vast majority of the crew are youngsters that are into weekend racing. The biggest change for this event is that we are back to a full crew, which will change how we sail the boat.”
The J/111 Class has been established in this race for about 10 years, while the J/109 has been sailing for the past 20 years. Both have similar characteristics with slight differences: the J/111 Class is 11.1 meters-long while the J/109 Class is 10.7 meters-long.
Competing at the Vice Admiral’s Cup UK National Champion Tony & Sally Mack’s McFly will go for the J/111 Class. Top J/109 teams for the cup include Mike Yates’ Jago, David Richards’ Jumping Jellyfish and Rob Cotterill Mojo Risin’.
The other classes include the Cape31, the HP30, the Quarter Tonner Class and the SB20 class. All of these classes offer different characteristics and have been included in the Vice Admiral’s Cup for as long as 20 years.
“I am really excited to race in the Vice Admiral’s Cup, especially after last year was cancelled.” Commented Louise Morton from the Quarter Tonner Class. “It is going to be very competitive; the standard in the class is very high”.
The next event also taking place in Solent with the collaboration of the Royal Ocean Racing Club is the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race that consolidates its position as the biggest offshore yacht race in the world.
The 2021 edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race sets sail from Solent on the 8th of August. The course takes the boats down the south coast of England to the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland. The fleet then has to return rounding Bishop Rock to the west of the Scilly Isles.
You might like: Watch the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race edition on our show Rolex Spirit of Yachting.
However, from the Scilly Isles the course has changed from its traditional destination in Plymouth to Cherbourg in the north of France. This change increases the length of the race from 608 to 695 miles.
This change of destination for the Rolex Fastnet Race allows a better accommodation of the race’s giant fleet. In addition, we have to consider France as the world’s leading nation of this genre of racing. With events like the Vendée Globe, Minitransat and French skippers having won the last two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, it is the perfect spot to end this oceanic race.
“Cherbourg is the perfect venue for the finish of the race,” said Race Director, Chris Stone. “It has amazing facilities for competitors, plus the city is right on the doorstep of the race village.”
On Nautical Channel we are eagerly awaiting the results of the Vice Admiral’s Cup and the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race.